The Steppe Whimbrel is the rarest and least understood member of the highly threatened Numeniini tribe (curlews and godwits). But considering they were believed to be extinct 25 years ago, it’s unsurprising that we know so little about them. A newly published report is beginning to fill in the gaps in our knowledge.

The story of the Steppe Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus alboaxillaris is a bizarre one. There is a very real risk in conservation that birds can go extinct before we even know they exist, or know enough about them to make efforts to protect them. Very little was known about the Steppe Whimbrel – a rare sub-species of the Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus - before it was declared extinct in 1994. However, recent sightings have revealed the Steppe Whimbrel lives on, and we now have a second chance to research and rescue this enigmatic bird. Read more of this fascinating story here.

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A new organisation called the Madagascar Birding Association (MBA) has been founded to promote the protection and preservation of Madagascar’s birds, among other goals. MBA has since produced the first ever bird field guide in the Malagasy language with the collaboration of a local partner. It is entitled “Ny Vorontsika eto Madagasikara” – Our Birds in Madagascar. You can find more about MBA and its activities at www.madagascarbirding.org.

On the small island of Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea, a community beekeeping project is empowering communities to obtain honey in a way that doesn't risk their lives. This initiative is already restoring forests and enriching livelihoods.

Traditionally, honey collectors on Príncipe Island extracted honey from wild colonies found in the forest by burning their nests. Not only does this method kill most of the bees and risk starting forest fires, but it is also dangerous for the honey collectors themselves, who must scale tall trees with minimal safety equipment.

BirdLife Botswana (BirdLife Partner) is unequivocally condemning the recent poisoning of 537 highly endangered vultures by elephant poachers in the Central District of Botswana. This devastating incident has resulted in the country’s highest recorded death toll of vultures associated with a single poisoning incident and is one of the worst killings of vultures on the continent, rivaling a similar incident in the Caprivi area of Namibia in 2013, where between 400-600 vultures were killed.

Every year hundreds of thousands of seabirds die as bycatch in fishing gear. BirdLife is joining a call to reduce this number by enforcing mitigation measures through observer coverage. You can join the campaign by signing the petition here.

Djebel Babor forest in Northern Algeria was a National Park for 60 years before being stripped of its status. Now, despite political upheaval, the hard work of conservationists has paid off once again.